Vocabulary
What does the word extinct mean?
Extinct means there are no organisms left of that species.
What type of rock are fossils found in?
Sedimentary
A dinosaur bone is an example of what type of fossil?
True Form
What is amber?
Petrified tree sap
What happens to soft tissues in the fossil process?
They decompose and decay.
What is a paleontologist?
A scientist who studies fossils
How are sedimentary rocks formed?
Layers of dirt piling on top of each other over time.
A leaf imprint is an example of what type of fossil?
Cast
Are bone fossils lighter or heavier than the actual living bone?
Heavier, they are filled with minerals and more dense.
What type of fossil shows the organism in 3D?
What does the word preserve mean?
To protect and make something last for a long time.
What can a shallow footprint fossil tell us about the organism?
It was lighter and/or it ran fast
A footprint is an example of what type of fossil?
Trace
Why are sea creature fossils more common than dinosaur fossils?
Sea creatures were covered in sediment more easily. Dinosaurs died on land which eroded the fossils. Or they were preserved in tar pits, etc.
What types of tools do paleontologists use to retrieve fossils?
Dental tools such as small picks and brushes
What does petrified mean?
The process a fossil goes through to be preserved.
What can a deep footprint tell us about an organism?
That the organism was large and/or heavy.
An imprint fossil is filled with sediment or plaster... What type of fossil will this create?
Mold
Name 3 substances fossils can be buried in?
Volcanic ash, ice, tar, amber, sedimentary rock, etc.
Name 1 way an organism's soft tissue can be preserved in a fossil?
What does prehistoric mean?
A time period millions of years ago.
Name 2 ways fossils give us clues about our environment?
They tell us how our environment has changed. They can also tell us what our environment was like before.
Name 3 examples of trace fossils?
Feces, footprint, nest, burrow, etc.
Describe the process bones go through when becoming fossilized?
The bones are covered with sediment and the bone marrow leaks out. Water comes up and fills the bones with minerals. This makes them dense and petrifies them.
Explain the process of retrieving a fossil.
Explain